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Sunday, 9 January 2011

Healthy Girl

Charlotte had her second doctor's appointment this week, and we are happy to report that she continues to be very healthy. She weighed in at six pounds and four ounces, topping her birth weight for the first time.

During the five days since our prior visit to the pediatrician, I had compiled a mental list of concerns to present to the doctor -- "doesn't sweat," "lacks teeth," "sleeps alot" -- but I learned these are all normal baby things, and by the time of her exam Charlotte had outgrown her antenatal awkwardness ("head shaped like a cone," "lazy eye"). Her father, on the other hand, had not outgrown his own:

"So, do either of you have any questions for me?"

"Um, yeah. She had a small bump here on the side of her head, but it seems to be gone now...yeah, it's gone. So...um...uh...."

"So it's gone now?"

"Yeah, uh, it seems so. But, you know...bump?"

"OK, well...."

"OK, well, your observation of a non-existent bump does not technically qualify as a question" is what the doctor was kind enough to not say, but I quickly forgot about that and smiled at the knowledge that Charlotte is healthy.

Healthy enough, in fact, to not go back to the doctor for three weeks. Whether or not the three-week recall time is standard, Bethie and I have chosen not to care. We have instead jointly decided that Charlotte overachieved, medically, by not being recalled sooner. This is not the first time this has happened:

"He's a healthy cat." [Hefts Cowboy aloft by placing hands at either end of his belly] "This is how they show cats."

"Ah."

[Immediately upon exiting the vet's office, to one another] "Did you hear what she said?! She said he's a show cat!"

Aside from an impressive urinary display that made short work of the paper liner on the examination table, Charlotte's doctor's visit was otherwise ordinary, which made for two grateful parents. As part of a standard set of tests, she also had some blood drawn from her heel. This is, in fact, whence they draw blood from infants for a whole battery of medical screenings. Makes me wonder at what point the human heel becomes an unreliable indicator of health. I'm going to ask the pediatrician about it next time.